→ When in good health there will be no premenstrual symptoms (PMS, bloating, breast tenderness or period pain) or mid-cycle spotting. i.e. regular cycle is between 28 to 30-day cycle with a bleed of 3-5 days no clots

→ Cervical mucous is extremely important as it aids the sperm to swim into the fallopian tubes. It’s produced a few days before ovulation so the sperm can be waiting within the fallopian tube when the egg is released. Without it, the sperm will die before arriving at their destination.

→ Ovulation occurring between days 13-15 is optimal.

→ In TCM, we understand that the menstrual bleeding reflects the quality of the uterine lining. The lining appears to be important for implantation, especially in relation to IVF failure or recurrent miscarriage.

→ TCM aims to increase the thickness and quality of this lining. It does this through promoting corpus luteal function (which in turn produces progesterone) and through its documented action of increasing blood flow to the uterus (Human Reproduction 11:1314-1317).

→ Ideally, it is expected that a woman will experience menstrual bleeding for at least 3 to 5 days – fresh red blood with no clots.

→ Enhancing egg development

→ Genetic material for a woman’s eggs are created when the woman is herself an embryo, the process of the egg maturing comes under the influence of her hormones. Clinically, it also appears possible to influence the integrity of the eggs released following acupuncture treatment. This may be due to increasing the blood supply to the developing follicles or by increasing the nutritional supply to the egg via the fluids that surround and nourish it.

→ Improving sperm quality

Get into the best possible state of pre-conception health.

(New England Journal of Medicine 345(19):1388-1393).

We recommend couples use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for pre-conception care, to boost your wellbeing and lay a good foundation for a healthy and problem-free pregnancy.

Allow 6 months…

Of course you want to be in the best state you can be to conceive to welcome a smooth pregnancy, healthy baby and the energy required for post natal recovery and parenthood.
Even if your biological clock is ticking or your egg reserve is “running low” it is still important to improve your foundational fertility and general health before commencing IVF. Acupuncture in combination with Herbal medicine can help to improve egg reserve and invigorate the reproductive system, making your IVF attempt more likely to succeed. To get optimal outcomes, it’s important to get into a greater state of flow and balance in your being to support your innate fertile potential. It is recommended that the greatest outcomes are achieved when both partners attend treatments. Even if the sperm count is deemed adequate, it’s important to acknowledge the following research outcomes:

Normal sperm count values are currently given as:

• Greater than 20 million sperm per ml
• Greater than 50% of sperm moving vigorously (motility)
• Greater than 14 % with no deformities (morphology).
• A population study looking at men’s fertility found that those men that succeeded in fathering a child had:
• Greater than 48 million sperm per ml
• A motility of more than 63%
• A normal morphology of 12%

(New England Journal of Medicine 345(19):1388-1393).